Life and work with Shalini Dixit- CEO and Co-founder of Shuddh Desi Radio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shalini Dixit.

Hi Shalini, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Shalini Dixit and I am a Gen X child born in a small town in India. Since childhood I had a natural interest and inclination towards music and acting. I did several plays/shows on ‘Doordarshan’ ( Indian TV channel) and gave many singing performances.. (I wish I had pictures…)

I’ve achieved Masters Degree in Psychology with the specialization in Counseling. I am also trained in Indian classical music and have ‘Visharad’ degree (Bachelor of Music) in Hindi classical.

I was growing with a normal aspiration that a girl of that generation could have. However, the aspirations started taking shape when I got married to this wonderful person Prasant. He is my backbone and an avid supporter. I was the most dependent and low confidence girl, it was he who made me stand on my feet by pushing me to my limits. I remember how I hated and cried for all that but now I realize this was for my own good. I wouldn’t have done any of it without his love, support and encouragement.
They say, there is a woman behind every successful man, in my case a man is behind my success story. 🙂

So, 2 decades ago when I came to states with dreams in my eyes, I didn’t know my calling. The pathway was not there but I still chose to walk on it. The reason was unknown, the target was not so clear but my curiosity to see the end of the tunnel lead me to follow the path.
I always found myself helping people. I wanted to do something for the indian community in the USA so, I got associated with India Association of Nashville which is a non profit organization for Indians in Nashville TN. I am on their board since past 10 years. But, this didn’t stop me there, I wanted my voice to be heard on a much bigger scale.
I realized in my journey one could be successful when they follow their passion. Between the home maker, teacher and corporate job my hunger of following my passion of singing took ultimate shape when I decided to start my own Radio Station – Shuddh Desi Radio.
3 Years ago, me and my friend Andy who is also the co- founder of radio, were discussing how we miss the Indian radio experience in USA. We grew up listening to the radio. We used to wake up by radio sounds instead of alarm clock. Radio was an integral part of our lives and in India still it is a vital part of people’s lives. Just like us most of the Indians who migrated from India were missing the whole radio experience very much. then we thought of starting our own radio. And thats how Shuddh Desi Radio was born. We started with 2 people and 8 hours of programming on weekends and after 3.5 years, we are more than 1 dozen people working in the radio from 4-5 states. Nashville got a radio station founded by immigrants and being the Music City of the world, it made perfect sense for Shuddh Desi Radio to be headquartered here in Nashville.

I wanted to share the joy of music, give the platform to others to express themselves to the whole world without being judged. The last 3 years have been very wonderful part of my life. I have been able to meet so many people and share their experiences with the world.
This has not been an easy journey – thinking about the audience, being creative of what they might like, getting sponsors, showcasing the talents through organizing the various talent shows.
However, this journey of roses and thorns has been most satisfying. It has given me a vision of serving communities through various channels. I have connected with 45000 listeners through my 700 hrs of radio programs.

This journey has not only helped me to grow but has helped to grow the communities, bringing smile on their faces and have brought positivity in the minds and health of the people I have connected with.
I am now not going to stop, not going to look back because I have to do more. I have to ensure that I become part of the society to uplift it till the last breath of my life.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Well!! Obstacles are put in our way to see if what we want is really worth fighting for. Frank A. Clark rightly said “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”

There were obstacles. There were doubts. There were mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits. Obstacles are designed to make us stronger. When I started, 3.5 years back I had no idea how the radio works. So I studied and did research on the entire process. There are no classes or courses available so it was all self study. I remember starting the radio from home studio and doing Live shows for 4-6 hours straight. Radio runs on advertisements, and it was a struggle initially to sustain the radio without sponsors. Another challenge was to find good Rjs/ radio hosts.
We gave the ads, did interview, trained them so they sound perfect on radio. It was all unknown to me and I was learning by doing and tapping in to all the different directions.

When things started to get better, we had amazing hosts in different cities, had good sponsorships, COVID hit our radio just like any other small business. We lost all our advertisers but we did not lose hope and continued with our 24*7 programming. We decided to help other local businesses in this tough time and started FREE advertising/ promotion for their businesses.

On personal front, it was a constant juggle from day 1 between home, kids, 9-5 corporate job and radio. I wanted to follow my passion, I knew this is my calling but there was a lot of struggle and hard work.
My day started at 4 AM and ended 12 AM. This was the time when my husband used to travel for work. And I was single mom on weekdays. I would go to work early so that I can come back home by the time my kids are home from school. I wanted to do everything perfectly, I wanted to be there for them and I would feel guilty if I couldn’t do something for them. Being an Indian woman, it’s like in our blood to feel and be responsible for everything. This is what we have seen our mothers and Grandmothers doing.
Anyhow, this juggling went on for almost 2 years. In 2020 when COVID hit us, things got worse. Now, everyone is at home and it’s even difficult to concentrate on work with kids around. The Mother inside me always dominates the working woman side of me. I had to make a choice, It was between my job and radio because I just couldn’t keep up with both the things along with family. And passion won over money, I took a break from my job and focused on radio. It was a tough decision but I’m proud of it. Now, I could give quality time to kids and family which is my priority and on radio front I started new ventures and ideas to make it even more popular.
Covid helped me in making this tough decision otherwise I would have just stuck there, struggling and juggling between jobs and family.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m Shalini Dixit Co-founder and CEO of Shuddh Desi Radio. Shuddh Desi Radio is a web based radio which can be listened from anywhere in the world via our website and/or apps.

We are growing and integrating our “Desi” community outside of India with a variety of entertainment, enrichment, education programs for them. Apart from just Bollywood Music and programs in Indian Regional languages our focus is on other topics such as Health and Wellness, Finance, Education (Schools), Regional Cultural Events.
Shuddh Desi Radio is very popular among south east asian community. Almost 100,000 listeners enjoy our shows.

It was an exciting moment when we were invited to Howdy Modi Event in Houston in 2018 as media representative.

Shuddh Desi Radio was the only Southeast Asian Radio invited for the coverage of  Ms. Universe 2019 in Atlanta.

Global Musical Icon is our another venture. This is a platform for people to showcase their talents worldwide. The part of the proceeds goes to the non profit organization in India.

I’m also actively involved in fundraising events/ charities to help the homeless, veterans, foster homes and hospitals.

I am in the board of India Association of Nashville since past 10 years and trying to bring the indian community together in and around Nashville area.

I was also honored to judge a dance competition organized by Naach Dance Academy Atlanta.

It was the most proud feeling for me to get felicitated by Consul General of India in Atlanta Dr. Swati Kulkarni in 2020.
Our story of radio was covered in various media outlets – TV channel, Newspaper etc.  I have worked with 5 different charities and have generated funds for several different organizations.

Apart from Radio, I’m a social media influencer, I share my knowledge and expertise on various topics.
I love connecting with individuals who share the same overall values and ideals as me. For me influencer ship is all about building a healthy relationship that makes me and others more successful.

I’m fortunate to be recently appointed as Director of India International Film Festival of Boston (IIFFB).

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I am blessed and thankful to have Andy Sathe as an amazing friend and business partner . He is a great leader, supporter and moreover a man with golden heart. Through your platform I want say a huge thanks to my entire radio team, show hosts, technical team, media team, without them we could have not come this far. This journey is so much fun with all of them. I also want to thank Nashville Voyager for creating this wonderful platform and uplifting local talents by featuring them.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@shuddhdesiradio.com
• Website: https://www.shuddhdesiradio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rjshaiely/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shuddhdesiradio
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/ShuddhDesiRadio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Wgf8-NcEFYL-Fk56ThqGg